Seeing a loved one suffer from addiction is incredibly painful. You want to help, but don’t know how – or you feel powerless. Go to God with all your pain, and let him show you the way. There’s never an easy or quick solution. Faith in Christ gives you a clear perspective and the strength to persevere.
You don’t have to face these trials alone. Reach out for help from your church or local support groups. Ask for professional help. Many times God works through others. And keep pounding on heaven’s door, no matter how long it takes. Never give up on the hope of freedom, healing and salvation.
We are praying for you and your loved one too!
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The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
Isaiah 61:1
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I re-posted this prayer to my Facebook page a few days ago. I originally posted it last year. It has had an amazing response with over 600,000 views in just a few days. I wanted to post it here to my blog for anyone who is not on Facebook, and could use encouragement in this area. Blessings to you all!
Dear Lord, we come to you and we pray for all those who are struggling tonight. We ask in the name of Jesus, that you be with each person who is struggling with addiction…whether it be alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, food…sometimes it’s more than one at a time.
Lord, you are our deliverer. We can do anything through Christ who strengthens us…but, we must take the first step. We must realize we have a problem and a need… and we must ask for help. I ask Lord, that you will give each person the courage to face up to their problems and to have a strong desire to change.
I ask that you will remove all outside influences that hinder them from coming clean and who perpetuate their addictions. We ask in Jesus’ name, that you will bind the enemy and that you will put your angels about each person to protect them tonight from themselves and from the things that keep dragging them down. Lord, I know many self medicate so they won’t have to deal with the pain in their life. I pray that you will give them the courage and strength to face down their demons and hurts… and to clean out the wounds once and for all, so they can be free to be the person that you’ve called them to be…to be free from the sickness and pain that keeps them in bondage.
We ask for healing in families torn apart by addiction. We ask for protection for those family members that are in harm’s way because of their loved one’s addictions. Lord, everyone suffers in a family where there is addiction. Please pour out your grace, mercy and healing power on each person who has been affected by someone with an addiction.
May the chains be broken tonight, Lord. Set the captives free and please begin that healing that only you can bring. Please bring hope…give a vision of what life can be like for a person freed from pain and addiction. Lord, for every need spoken or unspoken… and you know them all, we ask for your provision.
Please bring people into their lives that will stand beside them and help them to be accountable and will help them to stay clean and free. May you restore their sense of self-worth, may they find redemption and restoration in you Lord. We praise you and thank you Lord for the work you are going to do. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen
May tonight be a night of life-altering change!
Believing in miracles for you!
Debbie Kay
Here is a brief description by the artist, Steven Sawyer, as to the meaning behind the images in his painting. This comes from his website. Check out the site, for more insights…The painting is titled “Calvary” and he says ….”When you’ve done it unto the least of these you’ve done it unto Me.”…. “Only God can go where all the doors are held shut by the enemy. Only God will stay even when the devil himself finally walks out on you. Only God will share in the fullness of your sufferings and never forsake you”.
Photo Credit: artist, Stephen Sawyer. all rights belong to him
Prayer is (c) 2012, Debbie Kay, Hope For The Broken Hearted
hopeforthebrokenhearted.wordpress.com
How can you frame your prayers for someone who is struggling with addiction? We offer some suggestions here. Then, we invite your questions, comments, or experiences about praying for someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol at the end.
An addict makes her own choices
Many times, when we have a loved one who is addicted, the best thing we can do is stand back and let them make their own choices. It can be upsetting to watch them make unhealthy and self-harming decisions, but that doesn’t mean that we are completely helpless when it comes to recovery.
Q: What can you do about it?
A: Pray
“Son, my father told me recently, the only true weapon that had any effect on me…was to pray. There were even times I could feel the prayers and many days they gave me a new courage to take a step.”
My father struggled with alcoholism for many years, and until he was ready to make the change, we were unable to save him from his choices. However, what we could do was pray.
6 things to pray for
Here are six things you can pray for regarding an addict:
1. Pray for acknowledgement.
Pray that your loved one will realize they have an addiction and that they are hurting themselves and others around them.
2. Pray that they move past self-pity and loathing.
After my father had gained awareness about his disease, he had to move past the hate, shame and guilt he put on himself after years of addiction. Pray that they will understand how valuable their lives are that that their experiences could one day be used to help heal others.
3. Pray for desire to heal.
After my father moved from self-loathing and pity, he was finally ready to seek healing. However, he had to find a reason to heal that was stronger than his desire to drink. Pray that the addict in your life finds the reason they want to quit, and it will help them move past their substance abuse.
4. Pray for properly trained support.
Addicts needs support that is not only physical but spiritual. They need help figuring out their triggers, turning points, and what gives them the courage to get through the day. Pray that the addict in your life not only finds support from family and friends, but also finds strong accountability.
5. Pray that God gives them the strength.
Addicts have to make the choice NOT TO USE DRUGS OR ALCOHOL each and every day. They have to choose to go against their desire and choose the healthiest path. Pray that God helps your loved one to choose the path and keeps them whole.
6. Pray for forgiveness.
Breaking the cycle of addiction is not easy. The addict in your life may take a couple steps forward, and a couple steps back. Pray that you can offer the forgiveness they need when they make mistakes. Moreover, be willing to forgive many times as they walk this difficult path toward recovery.
Our prayers have value
My father has worked incredibly hard to work past his addiction to become a healthy person. I am so proud of him and the work he did to become the wonderful man he is today. It was only through applying God’s principles to his personal journey that he was able to overcome obstacles and create a life of peace.
No matter what, our prayers have value, and they can help those who are struggling with addiction to move forward toward healing and rehabilitation.
In your Service,
Stephen Scoggins
addictionblog.org
People often wonder where God is when they struggle with an addiction. Many of the men I work with who struggle with pornography addiction have prayed fervently for God to take it away. However, they feel their prayers have fallen on deaf ears because they continue to struggle. Some believe that God doesn’t even care about them. They believe that because of their sins they are unlovable.
While it may be difficult for someone struggling with addiction to see God working in his life, the fact is that God is intimately involved. However, it takes some time and skill to recognize how God is at work in the healing process.
The first thing that a person in recovery needs to understand is the difference between a healing and a cure. The difference is time. A cure is immediate while a healing takes time. In Scripture we read about many cures. Jesus cured the blind man, the crippled man, and the lepers. This is what most addicts pray for – an instant cure. While God can do this, it’s been my experience that he prefers to work in healing people’s lives.
God wants to see his children freed from the chains of addiction; however, above all else, his greatest desire is to be in a deep, loving, intimate relationship with each of his children. While most people would prefer a cure, it probably wouldn’t do much for their relationship with God. They would thank God and simply go about their lives forgetting all about him.
With a healing, God says “Let’s walk for a while and talk. Let’s get to know one another and build a relationship.” The end result of a cure and a healing is the same: health and restoration. However, with a healing there’s the added benefit of a deeper relationship with God. Here is how God uses our infirmities as an invitation to draw us closer to him. He wants us to know how much he loves us no matter what we’ve done. He wants us to know that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and that he delights in us! Once you understand that God is more interested in healing you than curing you, it’s easier to be more patient with the recovery process. You can even begin to enjoy the journey of getting to know him better.
It’s also important to be able to see how God is active in recovery. He reveals himself through the people one meets, such as a confessor, spiritual director, support group members, sponsor, accountability partners, and therapist. Many people I’ve counseled marvel at all the people God has brought into their lives to help them find freedom from pornography use. It requires great humility to develop such a team for recovery. One needs to let go of control, admit powerlessness and let God truly work in his life. This is summed up in the first three of the 12-steps:
- We admitted that we were powerless over lust — that our lives had become unmanageable.
- We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Once a man can humbly submit his life to God, recovery becomes easier. He can fearlessly work through the 12 steps. He can reach out for help when needed and offer help to others in need. He will not only grow in humility, he will also grow in other virtues such as honesty, courage, faith, hope, love, trustworthiness, obedience, kindness, etc.
Another reason I believe God doesn’t simply come in and cure people is that recovery is more meaningful when a man takes ownership of it. This requires him to do the work of recovery. In addition to admitting his powerlessness and submitting to God, he needs to immerse himself in a comprehensive recovery program. He must acquire the skills to achieve and maintain sobriety. He needs to identify the root causes of his addiction and resolve them. He needs to mend relationships that have been hurt by his addiction. He needs to help others in recovery. It’s this work that can bring about true transformation in a man’s life. God wants men to experience this!
As one can see in the 12 steps, spirituality has always played an important role in recovery. Building an intimate relationship with God can truly help a person through the tough times and is necessary for authentic healing. However, this rarely occurs without some help. I recommend all my clients find a good spiritual director. This is usually a priest they meet with once a month. They can discuss their relationship with God, their image of God, ask questions about God, and receive guidance in developing a strong and healthy relationship with God through prayer, sacraments, and Scripture.
Altogether, it’s not difficult to understand how God is present in one’s recovery and to see him actively working in it. It simply takes knowing where to look and how to look!
thosecatholicmen.com
